Glex Energy Calculator

Whatever source of energy you prefer for the future, it has consequences for climate, health, economy, nature and environment. This energy calculator allows you to create your own energy mix and visualize the possibilities and challenges. It aims at providing a better understanding of what is required to become carbon neutral.

You can play around with the energy sliders on the left and immediately see the impact your choice has. You can also see what the median values in the 1.5-degree report from the Climate Panel suggests. And you can select different ways to visualize the data.

When using the tool, keep in mind that there are physical limitations that restrict the amount a certain energy source can supply. For instance, the IPCC states that the global technical potential of hydropower is 15.000 TWh, while the tool allows you to exceed this number. Similar limitations will apply for the other energy sources as well.

Try to be realistic when using the tool. For the IPCC 2050 scenario, we have used median values from the 1.5-degree report (2018) and applied a small correction factor (1.07) to reach the median total energy supply shown in the report.

Since hydropower is not specifically listed, we have assumed 6% share in the energy mix (i.e. more than a doubling from today and two thirds of the technical potential.

Minor differences from published data may be observed due to different ways of considering biomass as well as discrepancies between the relative share of the energy source’s supply versus consumption (due to loss of energy before it reaches the consumers, such as refining of oil to gasoline). Due to the relative minor impact of other energy sources, such as tidal, wave and geothermal energy sources, these are not included in our analyses.

Calculation of energy consumption can be done in two ways, "direct" or "substituted". The direct method shows actual consumption, but does not take into account energy loss in the conversion of fossil fuels to usable energy (eg via electricity). Many reports therefore choose to use the substitution method to show how much low-carbon energy is needed to replace fossil fuels. If wind power produces 100 TWh, and fossil fuels have 38% efficiency (the rest is heat loss), then they write that wind power delivers 263 TWh, not the 100 TWh that was actually delivered. We have chosen to relate to the direct method because electricity production accounts for a small share of total energy consumption, while a large amount of the world's fossil consumption is still linked to heating.

About the calculator

We created this energy calculator to make it easier to visualize and understand the impact energy production has on the earth and humanity. The production of energy will always come at a cost of some kind and you will see that there are no easy solutions to create the energy we need. There will always be trade-offs.

The target group for the tool includes everyone that is interested in climate change whether you are young or old, student, teacher, expert or politician. And we sure hope that this calculator will be used for educational purposes.

Since data on energy production can be hard to compare because of different types of measurement, we have converted all the data into impact per TWh and we also show the impact in relatable units.

We have tried to use the most robust data sources available (see below). However, the data are not perfect and use global averages, thus ignoring many local factors. Also, experts may not necessarily agree on the numbers we have chosen. We have therefore added the possibility for the user to edit the input numbers.

Some aspects are extremely hard to measure and are not included here. One such aspect is stability which is critical for stable power deliveries over time. For instance, if you choose only solar and wind, you will need battery backup and supergrids to ensure stable deliveries all year. This will cause the cost to increase far beyond what this tool shows - and you may end up finding that it is not practically or economically possible.

Other non-quantifiable parameters include fear (e.g. of nuclear disasters and dangerous waste), visual pollution (e.g. from wind turbines and solar parks), value of untouched nature and loss of plant and animal species.

Despite these shortcomings we hope this can be a useful tool to understand how energy production is related to demand and impact, and that the calculator can contribute to a sensible discussion about the future energy mix.

Finally, we don’t want you to make conclusions based on this tool alone, but we hope it will help increase your knowledge about our energy sources.

Data

These are the numbers we have used to calculate the footprint of the energy sources. In some cases, the sources provide ranges. We have then used median- or average values provided by the sources.

UPDATE 10.1.21: Costs for renewables have been updated with 2020 figures from the IEA (for renewables, IEA uses numbers collected by IRENA, but may differ due to different calculations). Note that these figures assume a carbon tax of 30 USD / tonne CO2. Instead of using "Low stability", we have decided to use the term "Not operating" to better reflect that the percentage time that the power plants are not operating due to aspects such as absence of wind or sun, as well as other reasons.

This is simply 100% minus the capacity factor.
The capacity factor has been updated with actual 2019 numbers from Statista, with the exception of fossil fuels and biomass where we have used the IEA's 2020 assumptions of 85% capacity factor.

IEA has chosen to do so because the fuel is always available, allowing the power plants to theoretically operate as needed. Costs for solar and wind power do not reflect system-lcoe (need for backup), which will lead to significantly increased costs with a high share (> 10-20%) in the energy mix. Long-term operation of nuclear power (LTO) has not been taken into account, which will significantly reduce costs. With a 20-year extension of existing nuclear power plants, this type of energy will be the cheapest according to the IEA.

	Water	Wind	Solar	Biomass	Nuclear	Coal	Oil	Gas
Mortality/TWh	1,4	0,15	0,44	4,6	0,07	28,7	18,4	2,8
Emissions tonn CO2eq/TWh	97000	4000	6000	98000	4000	820000	715000	490000
Land use in m2/kW	7142,9	543,5	150,8	12500,0	4,2	7,4	5,1	2,1
Materials use i tonnes/TWh	14068	10260	16457	235410	930	124019	87168	77877
Critical metals in kilos/TWh	6,40	529,88	81,82	8,92	19,89	8,92	8,92	8,92
Costs in $/MWh	72	50	56	118	69	88	88	71
Not operating (100% - capacity factor)	61 %	65 %	76 %	15 %	6,5 %	15 %	15 %	15 %
Solid waste in tonnes/TWh excl. CO2eq	14068	10260	16457	21080	932,5	81725	1184	581
Share of total energy consumption in %	2,7 %	0,8 %	0,4 %	7,1 %	1,7 %	27,9 %	34,5 %	24,5 %

Sources:

Data for this project have been gathered by Jonny Hesthammer and Wouter Bell Gravendeel.

Area calculation

[1] Van Zalk, John, og Paul Behrens. “The Spatial Extent of Renewable and Non-Renewable Power Generation: A Review and Meta-Analysis of Power Densities and Their Application in the U.S.” Energy Policy, vol. 123, Dec. 2018, pages. 85–88. DOI.org (Crossref), doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2018.08.023.

Cost

[2] Renewable Energy Costs in 2018. IRENA, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2019/May/IRENA_Renewable-Power-Generations-Costs-in-2018.pdf. [Accessed: 24. March 2020]

[3] Stacy, Thomas F., og George S. Taylor. The Levelized Cost of Electricity from Existing Generation Resources. Institute for Energy Research, June 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IER_LCOE2019Final-.pdf. [Accessed: 24. March 2020]

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[36] M. Taylor, Pablo Ralon, H. Anuta, og S. Al-Zoghoul, «Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2019», IRENA, ISBN 978-92-9260-244-4, 2020 [Online]. Available: https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2020/Jun/IRENA_Power_Generation_Costs_2019.pdf. [Accessed: January 10, 2021]

Emission

[5] R. Turconi, A. Boldrin, og T. Astrup, “Life cycle assessment (Lca) of electricity generation technologies: Overview, comparability and limitations,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 28, pp. 555–565, Dec. 2013, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2013.08.013.

[6] M. Pehl, A. Arvesen, F. Humpenöder, A. Popp, E. G. Hertwich, og G. Luderer, “Understanding future emissions from low-carbon power systems by integration of life-cycle assessment and integrated energy modelling,” Nature Energy, vol. 2, no. 12, pp. 939–945, Dec. 2017, doi:10.1038/s41560-017-0032-9. Supplementary tables download link: https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41560-017-0032-9/MediaObjects/41560_2017_32_MOESM2_ESM.xls

[7] R. K. Pachauri, L. Mayer, og Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Eds., Climate change 2014: synthesis report. Geneva, Switzerland: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.ipcc.ch/siteassets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-iii.pdf. [Accessed: 17. March 2020]

Mortality

[8] A. Markandya, og P. Wilkinson, “Electricity generation and health,” The Lancet, vol. 370, no. 9591, pp. 979–990, Sep. 2007, doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61253-7.

[9] B. K. Sovacool et al., “Balancing safety with sustainability: assessing the risk of accidents for modern low-carbon energy systems,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 112, pp. 3952–3965, Jan. 2016, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.07.059.

[10] H. Ritchie, “What are the safest sources of energy?,” Our World in Data, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy. [Accessed: 17. March 2020]

[11] J. Conca, “How deadly is your kilowatt? We rank the killer energy sources,” Forbes. [Online]. Available: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2012/06/10/energys-deathprint-a-price-always-paid/. [Accessed: 17. March 2020]

Material use

[12] “Quadrennial Technology Review 2015.” Energy.Gov, U.S. Department of Energy, Sept. 2015, [Online]. Available: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/03/f34/quadrennial-technology-review-2015_1.pdf. [Accessed: 23. March 2020]

[13] “Fuel Consumption of Conventional Reactor.” Nuclear Power, Nuclear Power, unknown. [Online]. Available: https://www.nuclear-power.net/nuclear-power-plant/nuclear-fuel/fuel-consumption-of-conventional-reactor/. [Accessed: 23. March 2020]

[14] Wang, T. “Capacity Factors for Selected Energy Sources U.S. 2018.” Statista, 21 Oct. 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/183680/us-average-capacity-factors-by-selected-energy-source-since-1998/ [Accessed: 23. March 2020]

[15] Benzo Energy, “What is the weight of lithium-ion battery per kWh? - Benzo Energy / China best polymer Lithium-ion battery manufacturer,lithium ion battery,lipo battery pack,LiFePO4 battery pack, 18650 batteries, Rc battery pack,” 21-Oct-2019. [Online]. Available: http://www.benzoenergy.com/blog/post/what-is-the-weight-of-lithium-ion-battery-per-kwh.html. [Accessed: 26. March 2020]

Critical metals

[16] Publications Office of the European Union. Critical Metals in the Path towards the Decarbonisation of the EU Energy Sector: Assessing Rare Metals as Supply-Chain Bottlenecks in Low-Carbon Energy Technologies. 10 Oct. 2014. [Online]. Available: http://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/505c089c-7655-4546-bd17-83f91d581190/language-en/format-PDF. [Accessed: 23. March 2020]

[17] European Commission. “Critical Raw Materials.” Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs - European Commission, European Commission, 5 July 2016. [Online]. Available: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/raw-materials/specific-interest/critical_en. [Accessed: 23. March 2020]

Waste

[12] “Quadrennial Technology Review 2015.” Energy.Gov, U.S. Department of Energy, Sept. 2015, [Online]. Available: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/03/f34/quadrennial-technology-review-2015_1.pdf. [Accessed: 23. March 2020]

[18] “5 Fast Facts about Spent Nuclear Fuel,” Energy.gov, 30-Mar-2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/5-fast-facts-about-spent-nuclear-fuel [Accessed: 25-May-2020]

[19] F. Lamers, M. Cremers, D. Matschegg, and C. Schmidl, “Options for increased use of ash from biomass combustion and co-firing,” 2018 [Online]. Available: https://www.ieabioenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IEA-Bioenergy-Ash-management-report-revision-5-november.pdf [Accessed: 25-May-2020]

[20] T. H. Adams, “Coal Ash Recycling Rate Declines Amid Shifting Production and Use Patterns,” American Coal Ash Association, Washington, D.C., Nov. 2019 [Online]. Available: https://www.acaa-usa.org/Portals/9/Files/PDFs/Coal-Ash-Production-and-Use.pdf [Accessed: 25-May-2020]

[15] Benzo Energy, “What is the weight of lithium-ion battery per kWh? - Benzo Energy / China best polymer Lithium-ion battery manufacturer,lithium ion battery,lipo battery pack,LiFePO4 battery pack, 18650 batteries, Rc battery pack,” 21-Oct-2019. [Online]. Available: http://www.benzoenergy.com/blog/post/what-is-the-weight-of-lithium-ion-battery-per-kwh.html. [Accessed: 26. March 2020]

Stability

[21] Wang, T. “Capacity Factors for Selected Energy Sources U.S. 2018.” Statista, 21 Oct. 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/183680/us-average-capacity-factors-by-selected-energy-source-since-1998/ [Accessed: 23. March 2020]

[34] N. Sönnichsen, “Capacity factors for selected energy sources U.S. 2019”, Statista, July 27, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/183680/us-average-capacity-factors-by-selected-energy-source-since-1998/. [Accessed: January 10, 2021]

[35] International Energy Agency, «Projected Costs of Generating Electricity », IEA, France, 2020 [Online]. Available: https://www.iea.org/reports/projected-costs-of-generating-electricity-2020 . [Accessed: January 10, 2021]

Current energy use by source

[22] B. Dudley, “Statistical review of world energy,” BP global, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy.html. [Accessed: 17. March 2020]

[23] V. Smil, Energy and civilization: a history. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2017. [Online]. Available: http://vaclavsmil.com/2016/12/14/energy-transitions-global-and-national-perspectives-second-expanded-and-updated-edition/. [Accessed: 17. March 2020]

[10] H. Ritchie, “What are the safest sources of energy?,” Our World in Data, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy. [Accessed: 17. March 2020]

CCS

[24] B. Metz, O. Davidson, M. Leo, L. Manuela, and H. de Coninck, “Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage,” Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, New York, 2005 [Online]. Available: https://www.ipcc.ch/siteassets/uploads/2018/03/srccs_wholereport-1.pdf [Accessed: June 22, 2020]

[25] S. Budinis, S. Krevor, N. M. Dowell, N. Brandon, and A. Hawkes, “An assessment of CCS costs, barriers and potential,” Energy Strategy Reviews, vol. 22, pp. 68, table 6, Nov. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.esr.2018.08.003.

Energy mix 2050 (IPPC median values)

[26] J. Rogelj, D. Shindell, and K. Jiang, “Mitigation Pathways Compatible with 1.5°C in the Context of Sustainable Development,” IPCC, 2019, page 132-133 [Online]. Available: https://www.ipcc.ch/siteassets/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/SR15_Chapter2_Low_Res.pdf [Accessed: May 6, 2020]

Energy use and area need per capita

[27] D. Mackay, Sustainable Energy - Without the hot air. Cambridge: UIT, 2009 [Online]. Available: https://www.withouthotair.com/[Accessed: June 22, 2020]

[28] “Energy use (kg of oil equivalent per capita) | Data.” [Online]. Available: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.USE.PCAP.KG.OE?view=map[Accessed: June 22, 2020]

[29] “List of countries and dependencies by area,” Wikipedia. 10-Jun-2020 [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area&oldid=961823799[Accessed: June 22, 2020]

[1] Van Zalk, John, og Paul Behrens. “The Spatial Extent of Renewable and Non-Renewable Power Generation: A Review and Meta-Analysis of Power Densities and Their Application in the U.S.” Energy Policy, vol. 123, Dec. 2018, pages. 85–88. DOI.org (Crossref), doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2018.08.023.

Conversions

[30] Tons Of Coal Equivalent to Tons Of Oil Equivalent | Kyle’s Converter. [Online]. Available: http://www.kylesconverter.com/energy,-work,-and-heat/tons-of-coal-equivalent-to-tons-of-oil-equivalent. [Accessed: 23. March 2020]

[31] Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas to Tons Of Oil Equivalent | Kyle’s Converter. [Online]. Available: http://www.kylesconverter.com/energy,-work,-and-heat/cubic-feet-of-natural-gas-to-tons-of-oil-equivalent. [Accessed: 23. March 2020]

[32]“Cubic Feet to Cubic Meters Conversion.” Metric Conversions, Wight Hat Ltd.. [Online]. Available: https://www.metric-conversions.org/volume/cubic-feet-to-cubic-meters.htm. [Accessed: 23. March 2020]

[33] Hofstrand, Don. Biomass Measurements and Conversions | Ag Decision Maker. Iowa State University, Oct. 2008. [Online]. Available: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c6-88.html. [Accessed: 23. March 2020]